8 Critical Advantages and Disadvantages of Vaccinations
We are getting numerous vaccines throughout our lives. It is one of the highly effective and popular methods available to offer treatments for certain diseases. On the other hand, vaccines are useful to help people in developing immunity against certain health conditions as well.
However, there are advantages as well as disadvantages associated with the vaccines that people take. Let’s take a quick look at some of the most prominent advantages and disadvantages out them.
Advantages of Vaccines
1. They Can Help Save Lives
The most obvious advantage associated with vaccines is that they are in a position to save the lives of people. This is something that we can apply to the lives of kids. According to the statistical information collected by the American Academy of Pediatrics, most of the vaccines that are provided to the children are highly effective. They are associated with a level of effectiveness that ranges from 90% to 99% in preventing diseases. Some of these are life-threatening diseases. It has also been identified that these vaccines are in a position to help more than 2.5 million children to save their lives from death every year.
2. They are Made with Safe Ingredients
Yes. Ingredients (see CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/additives.htm). The ingredients available within vaccines are not dangerous. However, it is important to use those vaccines in the right amounts. In other words, it is never recommended for a person to be vaccinated than what is recommended. Otherwise, the vaccine will be able to trigger negative results.
Some of the most common ingredients that you will be able to find in the vaccines include aluminum, formaldehyde, and thimerosal. All these ingredients can be quite dangerous when they are taken into the body in large doses. However, dose control is done in an effective manner at the time of making vaccines. Therefore, you don’t need to worry too much about the dose. For example, kids are exposed to more aluminum through breast milk than what they will get through vaccines in childhood.
3. Vaccines are Generally Safe
According to the leading medical organizations that exist out there, vaccines are generally safe. Hence, you don’t have to worry too much about getting the vaccines that are recommended for you to take. These medical organizations include The American Medical Association, Institute of Medicine, Food and Drug Administration, UNICEF, American Academy of Pediatrics, and The Department of Health and Human Services in the United States.
4. Vaccines Don’t Usually Trigger Any Adverse Reactions
People are often worried about the adverse reactions that vaccines can create. In general, vaccines are not in a position to trigger any such adverse reactions. That’s because all the vaccines are properly tested through a series of clinical trials before they are released. Hence, they have taken all possible measures to reduce the possible occurrence of any adverse reactions.
However, this doesn’t mean that you can completely ignore the fact of side effects. There are side effects associated with vaccines. For example, the most common side effects that people can get after vaccination is anaphylaxis. This is a severe allergic reaction that people will have to face. However, the occurrence of the most common side effect will only be a few hundred to million vaccinations. Therefore, you don’t need to worry too much about the side-effects.
5. Vaccines are in a Position to Protect the “herd”
As you take vaccines, you should be mindful of herd immunity as well. Herd immunity refers to the scenario where the overall population is protected against a disease when a vaccine is provided to a considerable percentage of individuals. For example, if the vaccine is provided to around 70% of the people, the remaining people will also be able to develop herd immunity. Hence, it is possible to remove the chances available for a disease to spread.
Disadvantages of vaccines
1. There are Instances Where Vaccines Can Create Fatal Effects
The vaccines are not 100% safe. There are situations where the vaccines can lead people to fatal side effects. It is important for you to be mindful of those side effects at all times. For example, according to research conducted by the CDC, it has been identified that all the vaccines available out there can trigger an allergic reaction named Anaphylaxis. This can be harmful to the lives of all the people out there. Hence, it is important to be mindful of this risk when you go for the vaccinations.
2. Not All Vaccines are Important
There are numerous vaccines available for you to give to your kids. However, not all these vaccines are important. As a parent, it is important for you to devise what vaccines are important for your child and what vaccines are not important. Then you will need to stick only to the vaccines that are important to the child and provide them.
There are certain hard rules related to vaccines. According to these rules, school children are vaccinated through numerous vaccines. However, not all these vaccines are important or essential. Instead of the government taking the decision on who should be vaccinated or not, it is better if the parents can be given this decision.
3. Mandatory Vaccines Poses Questions of Religious Freedoms
There are certain religions in the world, which oppose the use of vaccines. They include mandatory vaccines as well. However, people with such religious beliefs are forced to take the vaccines because of prevailing laws. This is another disadvantage associated with vaccines, especially for the people who follow those religious practices.
Conclusion
Vaccines contain both advantages and disadvantages. However, we can see how people are using vaccines for a long period of time. Even when there is a new disease spreading around the world, scientists rush to the process of discovering a new vaccine for it. Hence, it is possible for us to believe that they are still important, regardless of the drawbacks linked with them.
